Free
by existence555
Summary: Sakura's right back where she started, married to the most dangerous man in the world. Can she escape this time? Does she even want to? MadaSaku sequel to Captured.


**A/N: Hi, everyone! This is a sequel to my story Captured. If you haven't read that, I would recommend doing that before reading this one. For those of you who have read that and have waited for this, I'm sorry that it took so long. I know this may not be exactly what you wanted, but I hope you like they way it turned out. Please review!**

Faces flew through Sakura's mind, each one blending into the next.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, the brightest grin she'd ever seen. Black hair, dark eyes, an arrogant smirk. White hair, one visible eye, a smile hidden under a mask.

Sakura smiled. _Friends_, she thought.

Then, _him_. Black hair, red eyes, thin lips set in a cruel smile.

She flinched, and her eyes flew open, only to be captured by those haunting eyes she had just tried to escape.

"Good morning, kitten," Madara smirked.

"Madara," Sakura whispered.

Her hand unconsciously reached out to him, and he took it in his own.

"So nice of you to finally wake up," Madara said. "You've been out for a few weeks. How are you feeling?"

He waited for almost a minute, but she didn't respond.

"I am your husband, and you will answer my questions," Madara told her, his grip on her hand tightening painfully.

"Water," Sakura gasped.

He picked up a glass from the bedside table and held it to her lips, allowing her to take a few gulps.

"I will only ask you one more time," Madara said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Sakura replied, attempting a glare. "You nearly killed me."

"I won't deny that," he chuckled. "But I distinctly remember you trying to kill me first."

Sakura didn't deny anything either. For a few moments, she said nothing; Madara was content just to stroke her hand with his fingers.

"My friends," Sakura said finally. "Are they alive?"

Madara inhaled sharply.

"Unfortunately," he answered. "They are still in Suna."

Sakura smiled; he had lost the battle. There was still hope.

"I'm going to call the doctor," Madara told her. "She's been worried about your condition."

He brushed his lips across her knuckles before getting up to leave, making Sakura shiver. When he reached the door, he turned back to look at her again.

"Don't go anywhere," he added cruelly.

Sakura gritted her teeth, which sent pain shooting into her temples. She brought a hand to her forehead. Even though she couldn't properly examine herself yet, she knew she was in bad shape.

"Sakura-sama, I'm so glad to see that you've woken up," said a feminine voice.

She looked up to find a woman in a white coat standing in the doorway. The doctor appeared to be smiling under a mask, and her blue eyes were friendly.

"Oh, yes," Sakura replied. "Thank you."

"Madara-sama tells me that you still feel quite terrible," the doctor sighed. "This is natural, because your injuries…"

The doctor continued, but Sakura stopped listening. Her mind had floated away again.

"_Sakura, this is extremely important," Tsunade told her. "Exhaustion is quite common in shinobi, and many come in on the brink of death. It is your duty to save them. As always, we'll start on fish and work our way up from there." _

"_But Shisou, we just trained for the past three hours!" Sakura protested. "This isn't fair!"  
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"_War isn't fair either, Sakura!" Tsunade snapped. "You might well be fighting for hours and then have to heal your comrades. You cannot just save lives when it is convenient for you." _

_Sakura thought about her teacher's words before nodding._

"_I'm ready, Shisou!" she exclaimed. "Please show me." _

Sakura shook off the memory and found that the doctor was still talking.

"You can stop," Sakura interrupted. "I was trained by the best."

The doctor looked at her in confusion.

"My sensei was Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin," Sakura explained. "Talking to me like a simpleton is not helpful in the least."

"I apologize, Sakura-sama," the doctor murmured. "I was not aware."

"That bastard likes to think that the only thing I am is his," Sakura told her. "It's no fault of your own."

The doctor did not dare to meet Sakura's eyes.

"No matter," Sakura sighed. "Is there anything you can do to speed up the recovery process?"

"We could start with your forehead," the doctor replied.

Sakura started at the mention of her old nickname. She looked at the doctor in confusion, and met her startlingly blue eyes. Her lips began to form her oldest friend's name, but the doctor shook her head.

"Don't say it," Ino warned.

"Pig," Sakura whispered. "What—"

Ino held up her hands and, suddenly, her body went limp. Before Sakura had the chance to wonder what had happened, Ino was in her mind.

"_Look, I hope this works, because it's kind of something new I've been working on," Ino said. "Can you talk to me?" _

"_Yeah," Sakura replied. "Ino, you can't be here! It's too dangerous." _

"_Blah, blah, blah," Ino retorted. "Shut up, Sakura. We don't have time for this. I can't do this for long, and we can't get caught. Listen, Naruto made a plan to get you out. Now that you're finally awake, you'll be healed up today with both of us working on you, and we can leave within a week." _

"_NO!" Sakura shouted. "He will come after me. And after that giant battle, you guys aren't ready to fight him. And there's no need to. I'll be fine." _

"_Don't fight this!" Ino exclaimed. "We're trying to help you!" _

"_I'm trying to help you, damn it!" Sakura yelled. "You guys can't be worrying about me until the next battle! I will be an asset on the battlefield. Until then, it's better that I stay here and spy on him. Go and tell Naruto that. I mean it." _

Shuddering, Ino slipped out of Sakura's mind. Before speaking again, she looked around to make sure that nobody had found them out.

"Fine," Ino agreed quietly. "But let's heal you up now."

For the next five hours, Sakura and Ino remained in the room, not straying once from their task.

Ino did the bulk of the work, and ended up nearly drained of chakra.

Sakura, on the other hand, was ready for anything. Though her chakra was depleted, she was nowhere near exhausted.

"I feel much better," she told Ino, jumping out of bed.

"Sakura-sama, be careful," Ino warned. "You should still rest for the next day."

Sakura waved that away.

"I must go inform your husband of the new developments," Ino pointed out. "Is that okay?"

"Of course, Doctor," Sakura nodded. "I would _love_ to see Madara."

Ino cast one final, worried glance at her friend before leaving. Sakura started pacing back and forth across the length of the room as she waited for her husband to come inside, and her mind wandered back to their wedding day.

_The vows were done, and now all that was left was to legalize their union._

"_Just sign here, darling," Madara smiled. "And then we'll officially be married." _

_Her fingers shaking as she did so, Sakura joined their lives together in black ink._

"_Perfect, it's done," Madara said. _

"_I suppose it is," Sakura replied._

"_Don't look so glum now, kitten," Madara sighed. "After all, haven't you dreamed of marrying an Uchiha all your life?"_

"_I hate—" Sakura began vehemently._

_She never got the chance to finish her sentence, because his lips were suddenly on hers. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. Her arms moved without her consent to wrap around his neck, and her eyelids fluttered shut. When he finally broke away, he smirked down at her, daring her to finish her sentence. _

"_You were saying something, Sakura?" Madara asked._

"I hate you," Sakura said pleasantly, as her husband walked inside the room.

Madara raised an eyebrow.

"You look well," he remarked.

"I am," Sakura replied, walking over to him. "In perfect condition, actually."

She stood on her tiptoes, as if to kiss him, but didn't. Their bodies were as close as they could be without touching, and her lips were a mere centimeter away from his.

"It's good that you're feeling better," Madara told her.

He wouldn't let her faze him, even if his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

"No thanks to you," Sakura retorted.

"I wouldn't have had to nearly kill you if you hadn't decided you were my enemy," Madara pointed out.

"I've never been anything _but_ your enemy," Sakura informed him.

Madara saw an opening and took it triumphantly.

"Nothing?" he asked. "Perhaps your injuries have made you forget…"

With that, he pulled her body against his and kissed her. For one glorious moment, she was kissing him back—then, she pushed him away.

"Bastard," Sakura muttered.

"So you're just going to pretend you were never anything else to me?" Madara sneered. "Never my wife or my lover?"

She glared at him defiantly.

"Never my dirty little _bitch_ in bed?" Madara chuckled.

That was when Sakura snapped.

"My friends and I will make sure you have a painful death," she promised.

She then aimed a punch right at Madara's mouth, but he simply bent backwards to avoid it, simultaneously kicking her off of her feet. However, before she could fall to the ground, he caught her and helped her back to her feet.

"Sometimes," Madara sighed. "I think I should just use the Sharingan to change your memories."

This matter-of-fact statement made Sakura's blood run cold. She had seen him do it to people before, and it was horrifying. But she would never let him see her fear.

"Why don't you just do it then?" she snapped.

"You wouldn't be who you are now," Madara replied simply. "And I wouldn't have any reason to love you then, would I, kitten?"

Sakura was speechless. In all of her months with Madara, she had seen him go through many emotions—rage, lust, envy, passion, even guilt and grief. But she had never expected him to love anyone, let alone her.

"L-L-Love?" Sakura stuttered, completely caught off guard.

"Love," Madara repeated, with a smirk.

Sakura felt dizzy and as though her body was no longer under her control. Despite her protests, every fiber of her body seemed to _want_ him. Her feet moved her to him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands thrust into his hair, and her tongue twisted itself around his. When she finally released him, she was gasping for air.

"You evidently feel it too," Madara pointed out. "You just don't want to confess."

"I will never love you," Sakura told him, cursing her traitorous body.

He looked at her skeptically, reminding her that she was still wrapped around him. As she attempted to untangle her limbs from his, Madara fastened strong arms around her, unwilling to let her escape. Sakura's breathing became ragged as he began to trail his lips up the side of her neck.

"Don't tempt me, Sakura," he murmured, his breath warm on her skin. "I might just have to prove you wrong."

Minutes later, they were lying on the bed, panting and devoid of clothing, but the challenge had still not burned out of her eyes.

Madara cupped Sakura's cheek with a rough hand and turned her face towards his.

"I have missed you, kitten," he said softly.

On that cryptic note, he stood up, put his clothes back on, and left the room, leaving Sakura to her thoughts.

She felt dirty, used. Her skin was crawling, and all she wanted to do was scrub clean every part of her body until it bled. It wasn't just that they'd had sex—they had done that many times before. It was that their bodies had fit together like puzzle pieces, that they had been two halves of one whole.

Sakura was a kunoichi, as she had said, trained by the best. And still, she had managed to do the unthinkable.

Sakura had fallen in love with the enemy.

She curled up in her bed and wrapped the sheets around herself.

"Shit," she sighed.

Sakura lay down for a long while, trying to think, but failing. Sensations came over her in bursts—the blinding pain of her battle with Madara, the tender caress of his lips, the dizzy nausea that had risen in her throat when he had confessed his love for her.

Putting Madara out of her mind, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to get some rest. Maybe these feelings would go away. When she woke up the next morning, she chose to pretend that she wasn't in love—it was a technique that worked beautifully.

Sakura's life went back to what she would consider 'normal' over the next few months. She lived with Madara as his wife and simultaneously fed information to the resistance, this time through Ino.

What Sakura didn't know was that Madara knew that he had a rat problem. The tactical advantage of loving Sakura was that it made her easy to read for him. She wasn't protesting her life with him nearly as much as usual, which meant that she was up to something. Before, it had been Sasuke. Now, he suspected Sakura's doctor.

So, Madara hatched a plan, firstly to confirm that it was her, secondly to get rid of her, and finally to teach Sakura a lesson that he hoped would stick this time.

One night, as they were getting ready for bed, Madara brought the topic of Ino up casually.

"I was thinking of letting your doctor go," he remarked. "Now that you are well, there's no point in her being here."

"I don't know," Sakura shrugged. "She's quite talented, I'm sure you could find some use for her."

Madara's eyes flashed with triumph. Her usual answer would have been that nobody should have to live in this terrible place, and even her neutral tone couldn't conceal this apparent change of heart.

"I'm really getting sick of this, Sakura," he sighed.

Sakura looked at him in feigned confusion and continued to brush her hair.

"Don't play coy with me, kitten," Madara told her. "I know what you've been doing behind my back, _again_."

"Madara, I have no idea what you are talking about," Sakura retorted, even though she could feel her heart beating in her throat.

He clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"You could still save her, kitten," Madara said.

Sakura knew then that she had lost the game. There was nothing left but ask the question that would establish her as guilty.

"How?" she whispered.

"I just want to have a quick chat with her," Madara replied.

Sakura started to protest, but Madara put his hand up.

"A supervised chat," he explained. "Supervised by you. Give me half an hour, and then she's free to go."

Sakura looked at him suspiciously.

"I don't believe you," she told him.

"You can go get her, or I can have some of my men go get her," Madara shrugged. "It's your choice."

Sakura didn't even answer him—she just started running. She ran to find Ino. She ran to get away from Madara. She ran, because she just couldn't stand there any longer and watch the man she loved threaten one of her best friends.

When she got to the doctor's room, she was nearly out of breath.

"Pig!" Sakura shouted. "Are you in there?"

When Ino opened the door, she was dressed in her mask and white coat as usual.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Sakura said nothing at first; she simply hugged Ino.

"He knows," Sakura said, after letting go of her friend.

"I have to go," Ino declared immediately. "Sakura, I have to go."

"No!" Sakura exclaimed. "You can't! He'll send his men. He promised to let you go, if you come with me. I'll be in the room. I won't let him hurt you."

Ino looked at her skeptically.

"He's not going to keep his promise," she told Sakura. "If we know anything, it's that."

"You don't have to trust him," Sakura assured her. "Just trust me! Trust me, Ino. I won't—I won't let him hurt anyone else I love."

Ino said nothing for a few moments.

"It's me," Sakura reminded her desperately. "Your best friend. Sakura."

"_Uchiha_ Sakura," Ino corrected her.

"It's me," Sakura repeated.

Again, Ino was silent. Then, just as Sakura was starting to lose hope, she began to speak.

"I trust you," Ino said.

Sakura exhaled, relieved.

"I'm so sorry, Ino," she sighed. "But this is the only way I can keep you safe."

"Who's going to keep you safe, Sakura?" Ino shot back. "You're always protecting all of us. Who's protecting you? _Him_?"

Sakura bit her lip.

"Do you _love_ him?" Ino exclaimed, in disbelief.

"No!" Sakura protested. "I don't! How could you even say that? We don't have time for this, Ino!"

She didn't allow Ino any time to reply. Instead, Sakura grabbed Ino's hand and started running.

"It'll only be half an hour, Ino," Sakura told her, as they ran. "And then you're free, I promise."

"I trust you," Ino repeated quietly.

They soon reached the room where Sakura knew Madara would be waiting. Before they went in, Sakura squeezed Ino's hand.

"We might not have a chance to talk after this is over," Sakura said. "So I just wanted to tell you…"

"I love you too, Forehead," Ino interrupted. "Let's just get through this."

Sakura smiled; she was glad to see that Ino was still the fighter she remembered.

Before they had a chance to turn the doorknob of the little interrogation room, Madara emerged from inside.

"Welcome, Yamanaka Ino," he smiled. "So nice of you to be here."

Ino glared at him defiantly.

"Why don't you come inside?" Madara asked. "My wife will accompany you."

Ino followed him inside, Sakura close behind her. Inside the room was a table surrounded by three chairs. Ino and Sakura sat next to each other, while Madara sat across from them.

"I'm not telling you anything," Ino said flatly. "You can do whatever you want to me."

Madara's smile grew wider.

"That's of no matter," he replied. "Sakura will not let me hurt you. Perhaps you will react when _she_ is the one being hurt."

Ino looked at Sakura in panic.

"She won't tell you anything," Sakura told him. "It doesn't matter what he does, Ino. Don't tell him anything. He's hurt me plenty of times before, and he's not going to kill me."

"Kitten, you misunderstand me," Madara told her. "I don't plan on hurting you physically; I think we're past all that now. Do you remember the last fight we had?"

It had been months ago, but his words still made Sakura's hairs stand on end.

"_Sometimes, I think I should just use the Sharingan to change your memories."_

"You wouldn't!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I'm about to," Madara retorted.

"Ino, run!" Sakura screamed.

Then, red eyes took over her mind, and she blacked out.

Two days later, Sakura woke up in a familiar bed, but something was missing. She rubbed her eyes, still tired, as she tried to figure out what exactly it was. Looking around, she realized that it was a bed for two, and that was when it hit her.

"Madara," she whispered, the name rolling easily off her tongue.

He was what, or rather who, she had been missing. Sakura slowly got out of bed and went to find him.

She didn't have to go far. Madara was in their kitchen, and he was just about done making breakfast.

"Madara?" Sakura said hesitantly.

He turned around and smiled at her.

"Good morning, kitten," Madara replied. "How are you feeling? You've been out for a few days."

She made her way over to him, and he put his arms around her.

"Much better now," Sakura told him, hugging him back. "What happened?"

"One of your friends from Konoha had come," Madara explained. "You don't remember?"

Sakura thought about it for a second before nodding.

"Oh, yes," she answered. "Ino was here, wasn't she?"

"Indeed," Madara told her. "She escaped, unfortunately. They want you back, Sakura."

"They'll realize that what they're doing is wrong eventually," Sakura sighed. "I wish they could understand that you're a good man."

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly before going to sit down at the table to eat breakfast. Madara sat across from her, triggering faint images of a small, uncomfortable room and red eyes. Shaking this away, Sakura began to eat.

"You do remember everything, Sakura?" Madara asked. "You got hit pretty hard."

"Unless the world has changed in the past two days," Sakura laughed. "Let me see… Raised in Konoha to believe that you were bad, fought with the rebellion until you saved me, and constantly under attack by my delusional friends. Did I mention that I have pretty kickass skills as a kunoichi?"

Inwardly, Madara relished his victory.

"That's right," he chuckled. "Looks like you're going to be fine."

"I hope you didn't worry too much, dear," Sakura told him. "I'm sure I can heal myself up by the end of the day."

Madara reached over to take her hand in his.

"I love you, Sakura," he said, smiling.

"Getting sentimental?" Sakura asked, grinning back. "I love you too, Madara. I didn't forget that."

These were words that Madara had been waiting a long time to hear. Finally, his marriage with Sakura would be as he wanted it to be. She would admit that she loved him, support him in his endeavors, and even stop trying to kill him.

The next few months were a dream come true for Madara.

In the mornings, he and Sakura woke up at the same time. They laughed as they cooked breakfast together, and even fed each other on occasion. After that, they would train his soldiers, and Sakura would take care of any injuries.

She went with him when he had to check on the status of the war and proved to be an able tactician. Though she never directly fought in the battles, her strategy was always helpful.

In the nights, they'd share romantic dinners and clichéd declarations of love for each other. When they went to their bedroom, they made love with so much care and tenderness that Madara almost could not believe that this Sakura was same woman he had married.

When they fought, it was never about the rebellion. Sakura was firmly on Madara's side now, thanks to his alteration of her memories. Their fights were about his snoring in the night or her lingering on a soldier a second too long. Their marriage was almost normal.

For a few months, they were happy.

Then, everything came crashing down.

One night, while the couple was asleep, two infamous leaders of the rebellion broke into their house. Of course, Sakura and Madara woke up at once.

"Intruders," Madara muttered.

"I'll help," Sakura told him immediately. "Let's go."

"No, Sakura, stay here," Madara said, shaking his head.

"But—" Sakura began to protest.

He silenced her with a kiss.

"I love you," Madara smiled, before leaving their room.

Sakura waited for a few minutes, contemplating her situation. She didn't want him to worry about her, but she didn't want to be stuck here worrying about him either.

She grabbed kunai and shuriken from her bedside table and was just about to leave when she heard a huge crashing noise from outside. She looked out of her window and saw only a cloud of fire.

Sakura rushed out, ready to join the fight, but she was too late.

Sasuke and Naruto stood next to each other, each covered in blood. Sasuke was nursing a broken arm, and Naruto was bleeding severely from his shoulder, but Sakura didn't notice either of their wounds.

All she could see was Madara, who was lying still on the ground.

Immediately, Sakura dropped down next to him and brought chakra to her hands to heal him.

"Sakura," Madara coughed.

"Don't talk!" Sakura ordered. "Don't say a word."

"You can't save me," he told her, using his remaining energy to hold her hand. "Just let it be."

"Stop saying that!" she exclaimed, tears starting to stream down her face. "You can't just die like this!"

"I'm sorry, kitten," Madara said softly.

With his last words still ringing in Sakura's ears, he took his last breath. After a moment, Sakura got up and whirled around to face Naruto and Sasuke.

"How dare you?" she shouted. "How could you kill him?"

"Sakura, he's done something to you," Naruto told her. "You don't understand."

"He's right, Sakura," Sasuke agreed. "We're your friends. We are _saving_ you."

"_He_ saved me!" Sakura shot back, in anguish. "We loved each other!"

"Please just come with us, Sakura," Naruto said. "We'll make you better. You'll be back to normal. We love you."

Sakura couldn't listen to them any longer. She was about to attack, but they were faster. Taking great care not to hurt her too much, Naruto and Sasuke knocked her unconscious and carried her back to the rebellion's hideout.

When she woke up, she was in a makeshift hospital. She felt strangely empty, but at the same time light as air.

"Sakura, can you hear me?" a familiar voice asked.

"Shisou?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"She's awake!" Tsunade barked. "Someone call them."

Sakura looked around in wonder.

"How did I get here?" she asked.

"You've been here for more than a week, Sakura," Tsunade told her. "Ino and I have been working on you since the, but we couldn't have done it without Sasuke's Sharingan. Your memories have been restored, but they will be hazy at first. Sasuke and Naruto should be here soon to see you. But first, there's something I have to tell you."

Sakura nodded, motioning for Tsunade to go on.

"I discovered something while we were treating you," Tsunade continued. "I don't think Ino has noticed yet, but everyone will soon. You are pregnant, Sakura. You're carrying Madara's child."

Sakura opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"It is Madara's, correct?" Tsunade pressed on.

"Yes, yes," Sakura managed to reply. "It's his."

At that moment, Sasuke and Naruto arrived.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're all better, right? You had us really scared with your talk of loving Madara. Ino told us what happened, but it still freaked us out. You're okay, right? We missed you so much. I'm glad you're back. Now he can never get to you again, and—"

"Dobe, shut up," Sasuke interrupted. "She's tired. Kakashi-sensei's a few rooms over, which is why he isn't here, but he told us to give you his best."

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Now that everyone has had the chance to see Sakura, you all have to leave!" Tsunade told them. "She needs her rest. I assure you she will be out within a week. Until then, get out!"

Everybody left, leaving Sakura to her thoughts. She couldn't fall back asleep; it was as if red eyes were burned into the back of her eyelids. She was sure they'd haunt her dreams (or nightmares).

During the quiet week she spent in the makeshift hospital, Sakura came to a few conclusions.

She had loved Madara. She didn't anymore, but she had nonetheless.

She was going to raise his child, but he or she would never know Madara as more than an enemy who the rebellion had taken down.

To pull this off, she needed to fall in love with a certain someone all over again. The flutter in her heart when her friends had come to visit told her that she was about ready.

Sakura fell asleep on her last night at the hospital with these thoughts floating in her mind. At last, she was free.

The next morning when Tsunade released her, Sasuke was waiting at the entrance of the hospital.

"Good morning, Sasuke," Sakura smiled.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response.

"I thought we were past this," Sakura sighed. "It's been too difficult these past few years for me to deal with this again, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled.

"Dinner today," he said. "It won't be much since we're still in a rebellion hideout. But it's something."

"It is something," Sakura agreed.

For a moment, she was silent.

"Do you know?" she asked. "Did Shisou tell you?"

"I will help you," Sasuke replied, nodding. "He or she will need a father as well."

"Is this because this child is an Uchiha?" Sakura asked, biting her lip.

"I thought we were past this," Sasuke chuckled. "It's because this child is yours, Sakura."

Sakura smiled.

From then on, everything progressed as she expected. She and Sasuke fell in love, got married, raised children, and had a blissful life together.

Despite all that, his red eyes were never the ones that haunted her dreams.


End file.
